Due to severe drought, irrigation allotments were decreased to lowest amounts in history.
Oregon
Posted inMay 1, 2021: Beauty and Biodiversity in the Borderlands
A rescue mule, bizarre humans and alarming politicians
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
The essential — and dangerous — work prisoners do
Incarcerated people respond to pandemics, wildfires, avian flu outbreaks, mudslides and more.
Posted inApril 1, 2021: Holding Fast
The ‘slow-motion genocide’ of the Chinook Indian Nation
Federal recognition provides tribes with critical healthcare and education. What happens to the tribal nations that the U.S. refuses to recognize?
Posted inMay 1, 2021: Beauty and Biodiversity in the Borderlands
Has Eugene, Oregon, found a ‘superpower’ for climate action?
The city’s eyeing changes to its natural gas contract to fund climate ambitions.
Posted inArticles
New federal funding for police alternatives
The latest COVID-19 relief bill provides a ‘down payment’ for crisis response programs.
Posted inApril 1, 2021: Holding Fast
The Biden administration’s critical role in Indian Country
Four important decisions will impact the forests, lands and waters of tribal nations.
Posted inApril 1, 2021: Holding Fast
Who should pay for conservation?
Traditional sources of funding are dwindling, and some believe park visitors should step up.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Tired and inspired; wild new world; signs everywhere
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Did James Plymell need to die?
How homelessness is criminalized in small cities and towns across the West.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Foreign-born doctors fill physician shortages in the West
Some find a permanent home; others languish in a visa holding pattern.
Posted inArticles
Western lawmakers lead a movement to protect natural hair
A recent wave of legislation fights for Black women’s right to wear natural styles and have safe hair products.
Posted inArticles
Documenting destruction from above
A young photographer highlights the environmental crises facing Indigenous communities at home and abroad.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
Workers reflect on Oregon’s first and last coal plant
‘The people here made the plant. What we did is something that was needed.’
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Why Utah’s wild mink COVID-19 case matters
‘Vet-virologist’ Anna Fagre discusses the first positive case detected in the wild — and how ‘spillover’ could impact the West.
Posted inArticles
Pikas are adapting to climate change
The resilient species is altering its behaviors in response to changing conditions.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
The lessons on storytelling that William Kittredge taught
The beloved teacher and writer was preoccupied with the particular.
Posted inArticles
Indigenous fishers on the Columbia River confront new challenges
Beyond depleted salmon runs, the pandemic has created occupational hazards and a depressed salmon market.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
The Washington, D.C., siege has Western roots and consequences
History and the growing power of right-wing extremism point to a volatile future for the West during the Biden presidency.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2021: No Place Like Home
Offensive Montanans; a stubborn turkey; landlubber remembrance
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.